Same In Any Language
by Shelly LeBlanc
Summary: How many ways can Don tell Raph he loves him?


TITLE: Same In Any Language  
FANDOM: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (2k3 Cartoon)  
CHARACTERS: Raphael and Donatello  
PAIRING: Raph/Donnie  
GENRE: Romance, mild Angst  
RATING: PG-13, for kissing 'bros.'  
WORD COUNT: 2,931  
SUMMARY: How many ways can Don tell Raph he loves him?  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a fic I wrote a long time ago but didn't post. Went over it again and made some changes. I wonder if you can tell the difference in the writing, lol. This is actually quite sappy and Raph may be OOC, grr. All the foreign language, except French, I looked up with Google Translate, so please forgive me. The obvious words are translated at the end. Unbeta'd but if anyone is interested?

EDIT: Again, I found another error, thanks to two lovely reviewers! Thank you much, I fixed it!

-o-

It started out as a game. Raph, though knowing full well of his brother's ability of learning new things quickly, started to test Don on the different languages he picked up.

"Red, French."

"Rouge."

"Dog, Spanish."

"Perro."

"Hail, German."

"Hagel."

"Lady, Sweden."

Don paused, in panic. "I only know one sentence in that language."

Raph was about to raise his hands in triumph, but the slight devastated look on Donnie's face stopped him. He decided to help him out a bit.

"So, what is that one sentence?"

This time Don smiled widely.

" _Jag älskar dig_." Don said, then repeated it in English. "I love you."

Raph swallowed, trying to not let how much those words actually meant to him.

"Yeah, _jag älskar dig,_ too." He replied, punching him in his arm as he always did when he was uncomfortable in showing affection. It was brotherly, after all.

-o-

It was no secret that Mikey had a knack for mimicking. When he was younger, he mimicked everything he came across, which annoyed the heck out of his brothers greatly. He had calmed it down as he grew older, but when the occasion arises, such as accidently landing on a Spanish soap opera when channel surfing, Mike was quick to pick it up again.

When he started mimicking the actors on the TV, Raph wanted to choke him, and nearly did too, if it weren't for the fact that Don had joined in. It didn't nearly entertain the brainy turtle as much as it did his younger brother, but since he knew exactly what the actors were saying (where as Mikey didn't) he got some pleasure in silently making fun of his brother.

They were at an extremely heated part of the show, one of the main male actors was fighting what appeared to be an extra over one of the leading female characters.

"Ah, Jose!" Mikey squeaked, letting his voice raise a couple of octaves to mimic the girl. "Por favor, no lucha por encima de mí. He elegido. Te amo! (1)"

Don's voice went deeper than his normal tenor, replying in kind. "Te quiero también, mi amor. (2)"

Only, he wasn't looking at the screen, nor at Mikey, who was staring in mock-admiration at his older brother. His eyes slipped to Raph's as he said the words, a small smile flitting his lips before turning back to the scene on TV.

Raph found the show much more enjoyable after that.

-o-

" _The Three Musketeers?_ " Raphael read the title of Leonardo's book that he had snatched from the eldest's hands. "Again?"

Leo snatched it back with a snarl. "Shut up. It's a literary novel." He then held the book to his chest, as if he were cradling a child. It was the exact reaction the hot-headed turtle was looking for.

"Yeah, written by some stupid French guy who had nothin' better to do than to write about men in tights."

Leo narrowed his eyes at the tone in Raph's voice. He knew that the red-masked turtle was just baiting him, but he was insulting Alexandre Dumas!

"Are you implying that he was gay?"

Raph smirked. "Are you saying that it's wrong to be gay?" Leonardo sputtered at the thought of being 'politically incorrect' and let out a huff, jumping off the couch to find a better sanctuary than the living room where his brash brother was currently residing.

Even though Raph knew he won that round, he couldn't help taking one last shot.

"What's good about the French anyway, they don't bathe." Leo's only answer to that was that of a slamming door.

Raph chuckled as he sat in Leo's vacated seat and propped his legs on the coffee table.

"Well, the French have contributed a great deal to our American History."

Raphael jumped slightly as a new voice filled the living room. He turned his head and saw Donatello staring at him from his lab door. "Wha?"

"The French had sold about a third of our country to us in the Louisiana Purchase. But if you don't care for the history lesson, they did have a great number of artists and musicians that we currently enjoy today." Don moved in closer to the room with a smile on his face. Raph just stared at him as he continued. "Oh, let's not forget the language."

Raph blinked slowly. "What about the language? Hardly anybody speaks it here."

One side of Don's mouth tilted higher than the other. "True, but how can you not like the Language of Love. What's more romantic than saying _je t'aime_?"

"Je t'aime?"

Don nodded, giving him a soft smile. "Oui. Very romantic sounding isn't, especially if it comes from a loved one." And with that, Don turned and headed to his lab, giving one meaningful glance back at his brother before closing his door.

Raph stared back at him, open mouthed and his head feeling slightly dizzy. He didn't even need Don to translate what the word or the meaning behind it meant. He got it perfectly from Don's eyes.

-o-

"Gesundheit!" Mikey shouted as a sneeze resounded throughout the lair.

"Danke." Don replied as he ran his arm over his nose. He tiredly continued to type out his ideas on his computer, trying to ignore that tickle in his nose and the heaviness in his chest. There was too much to do with the new lair for him to get sick now.

Suddenly, he felt a shadow come over his right shoulder and he looked up. There stood Raph, with a box of tissues in his hand and an unreadable expression on his face.

"Ya know, you killin' yourself over the security notes ain't gonna get it done any faster."

Don sighed wearily, accepting the tissues without a word. He blew his nose, knowing Raph wouldn't be grossed out and threw it in the trash bin at his feet.

"Danke."

Raph raised his eyebrow. "That's German?"

Don nodded, and then he gave a cheeky smile. "Ja."

Raph laughed and rubbed Don's head in affection, ruffling his mask so he would be half blind. "Nerd."

"Hothead."

"Geek."

"Atomic Mouth."

"Smart ass."

"Dumb ass."

Raph's grin grew louder, noticing that the color was returning to his brother's cheeks a little with their name calling. He always did think Don looked pretty when he blushed. He chewed his lip for a second before he said his next word.

"Wunderschön." (3) Raph had the eminence pleasure watching Don's whole face flushing. He saw Don's eyes twinkle in both embarrassment from the complement and the joy that Raph had probably looked up all the different versions of that word just to say it. Raph didn't even need to hear the next words that came out of Don's mouth to know how much it meant to him.

"Ich liebe dich."

-o-

Monster. A _monster!_

Raphael stared at the creature in the containment unit, who was banging away at the glass walls, out of his mind with his fury.

 _Don_ …

Raph looked around, and was relieved to notice that everyone was preoccupied with other things, preparations of the trip that would hopefully bring their brother back.

 _Donnie…_

Raph's head was still reeling from the news Leatherhead had announced just an hour ago. Dying, he said. Their beloved brother was….dying.

 _Donatello…_

Raph turned back to him and placed on hand on containment unit. As quietly as possible, his other hand reached down into his belt and took out a parchment he had tucked in their earlier. He raised it up and open it up.

It was lame, he knew. His kanji sucked, always had, but he was sure Don would appreciate the work he put into it. Don loved hard work.

He placed the paper to the containment unit and spoke to the beast inside.

"I couldn't say it yet, Donnie," Raph said quietly, "You know that I didn't have the courage to do it before…and I know there ain't no use in telling ya now. You're out of mind right now, I know, but…maybe if I show you, you know, it might help so…" Raph swallowed, his eyes getting a little watery but he batted his eyes a little to keep the tears at bay. "I'm gonna say it, okay? When you get better, I'm gonna say it."

Donatello, the large senseless beast, stared at the paper, knowledge voided from his eyes, then roared and continued his attack on the walls surrounding him. Raph had to swallow again and took the paper away from glass, folded it and placed it back into his belt.

"I promise, Donnie," Raph whispered. "I…" He had to turn away and get away from beast that couldn't really be Donnie, their Donnie, _his_ Donnie.

He couldn't look at the creature who he finally found the courage to tell him how he felt and it could already be too late.

-o-

Raph shifted from foot to foot, standing nervously outside of the lab door. He was trying to gain enough courage to cross the threshold but every time he started to touch the door, his hand fell back down again and he once again lost his nerve.

It had been a week since they had returned from Nevada with a tired but normal Donatello in tow. He had been given strict orders for bedrest and everyone in the family was prepared to sit on him to make sure he complied. But luckily for them, the double mutation wore their resident genius out and he had been compliant to their wishes and slept most of the week away.

Of course, this was actually a hindrance to Raphael, who hadn't really had a moment alone with his brother since then. At least, not while he was awake. Most of his time was spent watching Don's chest rise and fall while he slumbered. He would use that time to mentally practice. He was never good with words and feelings, and he knew that if he wanted his message to come across right, he needed to have it down pact. He told himself that he was going to tell him as soon as he awoke how he felt. He was going to say the words that Don had been saying, the same thing in all those languages, and he was going to get it right.

A couple of times while he was on duty, he saw Don's eyes flutter awake and after a moment of confusion would zero in on him. He would start to see the blossoming of a smile when Mikey, who seemed to be so in tuned with Donnie's sleeping patterns, would rush in and announce that their brother was awake. Then the rest of their clan would come and bombard the poor resting turtle's room, for no one wanted to miss his waking hours. Seeing as Raph couldn't blame them for it, he would only scowl lightly and accept Don's apologetic smile even though his brother had nothing to be sorry for.

But now Don was out of his bed, and already started doing some light tinkering in his lab. All of the heavy and/or dangerous stuff had already been confiscated by Leo (with the help of their pack-crock Leatherhead) so he didn't have as much stuff to fiddle with as before, but Don never complained. He still took frequent breaks, which they all were relieved of, and seemed to be happy with just having something in his hands again.

He was still accompanied by one or two of his family or friends at an almost 24-7 basis, but there were some times when Don was blissfully alone, like now.

And Raph was too chicken-shit to go in.

All those hours of practice, of mentally preparing himself for this moment, were all looking like a big waste of time. If he couldn't even move his hand to hold onto the doorknob to push it open, how could he even have the courage to speak the words he had been so desperate to say?

Suddenly, the image of a thrashing Donnie, scratching at the glass as his vitals started to deteriorate stopped his thoughts cold. The butterflies in his stomach dropped like stone and his breath caught. The very real possibility that Don may never have even had a chance to hear those words put enough power in him to shake off this strange indecision and spurred him forward. He quickly opened the door and entered the lab. He shut the door with a mild slam, locking it for good measure.

Don, who was elbow deep in computer parts, looked up at the sound at the door and gave a quick grin at the red-masked turtle before returning to his work. Raph stayed at the door for a few moments, taking in his living, breathing, non-monster brother, before he moved forward slowly. He came to rest right next to Donnie, who appeared to be completely focused on the task at hand. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Hey," he said, mentally kicking himself at how lame that sounded. Don smiled anyway.

"Hi." He sounded cheerful, and it strengthened Raph's nerve.

"I wanted to tell you something for a while now," he started, making his voice sound strong even though he felt like jelly on the inside. "But I've been too afraid, or too stupid, or…well, whatever. But I need to tell you now before something happens, or before nothing happens."

Don stopped moving his hands and turned his head to his brother. His soulful brown eyes stared up at him and Raph felt lost in them. His speech completely became lost to him and he spoke from his heart.

"I love you, Donnie." It was simple, oh so simple. "I love you."

Don gave him a smile. It was gentle as a summer breeze and as warm as the spring sun.

"I know," he said simply, "I love you, too." And with that, he turned back to the computer and continued his work.

Raph looked dumbfounded down at him, uncomprehending what he was experiencing before he realized that Don must have misunderstood him, that he was just being brotherly and showing affection after a near death experience. He didn't take it in the context Raph had meant, and while he couldn't blame Donnie for that, it did rise a little ire in him and allowed him to speak again.

"No," Raph said, his voice forceful. "No, I don't 'love you,' love you. I ' _love you_ ' love you."

His tone caused Don to turn a little wide-eyed at him, his face scrunched up in a way he always did when he came across a puzzle. Knowing that this was going downhill fast, he quickly pushed on, wanting to get this out before he lost his nerve again.

"I love you! There is honestly no stronger words I can say to make you believe me, but I'll die trying. I love you more than Mikey loves pizza. I love you more than Leo loves meditation, than Splinter loves his soap operas, or with your geeky machines." He couldn't look at Don's bright eyes, afraid he'd sputter into oblivion if he did and didn't seen the look he wanted. "I love you like a flower loves the rain. I love you like Casey loves April. I love you completely, hopelessly, and eternally. I want you to know that those words you spoke to me weren't just a game to me. And I know they weren't for you. I know because I saw it in your eyes when you said them. I saw the same fire that burns within me when I look at you." He pulled that crinkled paper out, with his crooked kanji that was starting to fade with over-handling. "I love you so much that I couldn't breathe. I couldn't breathe when you were not yourself. And I was so stupid, so stupid, to wait until now to tell this to you, to wait until after your life was already in danger to realize it. I'm sorry it took me this long to say it, but I love you. I love you! I love you! I love-"

He was cut off when something hit his mouth. For a moment, he thought he had been slapped, but then he felt the pressure move and realized it was a kiss. Donatello was kissing him, and his hands were entangled with Raph's mask-tails rather than computer parts. Raph, quickly getting with the program, started to kiss back and they stayed that way, their mouths moving against each other before Don finally pulled back, his brilliant smile slightly swollen.

"I know," he said, his grin as infectious as ever. "I love you, too."

"Um," Raph said, feeling dumbfounded. "What?"

"You realize that while your mouth wasn't saying anything," Don said with a slight tease to it, "your eyes were screaming it. I knew that if I gave you a little time, you'd find the gumption to say it. And while the words are nice, believe me, they really, _really_ are, I never needed you to tell me to know that you love me."

"How?"

The smile was blinding. "Because love is the same in any language." His voice was soft and Raph felt his heart start to flutter as he started to lean in again. "And your body language is speaking very clear to me."

That piece of paper fluttered to the floor as Raph pulled Donnie in closer for another kiss, deciding to let his body do some more declarations of love.

-End-

-o-

Translations:

1\. Please do not fight over me. I have chosen. I love you!

2\. I love you too, my love!

3\. Beautiful.


End file.
